April 13
The God
of All Comfort
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
Daily Steps
When difficulties strike, the temptation is to become self-focused and isolated in our pain. This passage provides the new believer with a profound and communal source of peace: the God of all comfort has a purpose for your pain that extends beyond you.
The peace in this promise is both personal and shared:
The Source is Perfect: God is not just a comfort, but the "God of all comfort" and the "Father of compassion." His comfort is infinite, perfect, and available in "all our troubles." This means no difficulty you face is too big or too unique for His consolation.
The Purpose is Communal: God comforts you not only for your own sake but "so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." Your experience of difficulty, when met with God's peace, prepares you to be an agent of peace and healing for others.
Your peace in difficulty is secured by trusting that your suffering is not wasted. God is using your personal experience of receiving comfort to equip you for a lifelong mission of extending that same comfort to others in the Christian community.
Reflective Question
What specific act of comfort or compassion have you recently received from God in your current difficulty? How can you purposefully share that exact comfort—a listening ear, a quiet presence, or a word of hope—with someone else who is struggling today?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I praise You as the God of all comfort. Thank You for meeting me in my troubles with Your compassion. I pray that the comfort I receive would not end with me, but that You would use my experience to equip me to comfort and encourage others in their struggles, securing peace in our community. Amen.
